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Monthly Archives: June 2016

Let me start by saying that there is some very important advice to any programmers who might be tempted to create the own encryption security systems. That advice is well summarized by the word: DON’T!

Most home-brewed encryption schemes, including many used in vital embedded systems, are laughably weak. Straying from proven, working standards is a recipe for disaster and loss. So I say again: DON’T!

Having said that, why am I now going to discuss the Mystikó encryption gem? Very simply, this gem is only intended for educational and amusement purposes. Under no circumstances should it be construed to be a serious encryption tool or fit for protecting actual property, privacy or security.

So why do it? Why not? It was a fun challenge and a good follow on for my earlier work with pseudo-random number generators. It was also an interesting way to learn a little bit more about this fascinating topic while having fun with Ruby programming.

The gem itself is at: The Mystiko gem. The source code may be found at: Source Code. The source code also comes with a special added treat! In the Challenge folder of the source code you will find the file “challenge.bin” This file contains a paragraph of famous text encrypted by the Mystiko gem.

At this time, I am still working on raising some funds/prizes for the first person to crack this code, after which the plain text and the key will also be published so that others may verify the winning entry!

So, what shall happen? Will a jury rigged encryption program stand the test of time? or will it be cracked soon as predicted by common wisdom? Time will tell!